I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard, or heard an entire packed audience laugh so hard. In a world that feels very heavy, Portland Center Stage's production of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG offers something we desperately need: two hours of pure, unrelenting fun.
Dear Readers, whether you want to admit it or not, we all love a little bit of schadenfreude to some extent. That joy we take out of something going wrong for someone else. And that’s where “The Play That Goes Wrong”, currently playing at the Seattle Rep, hits the sweet spot. We can relish in the chaos while knowing it’s all supposed to happen. Seattle audiences have been waiting for this one for a while with tours that were announced and then cancelled. And while I know how amazing this show is from seeing the original London cast, this is now a local company and local cast, and it’s not an easy show to pull off. But the Rep has always been up to the task for those tough shows, and I’m pleased to say, they nailed it!
Seattle Rep opens its 2025/26 season with the Broadway comedy The Play That Goes Wrong and Larissa FastHorse’s world premiere play Fancy Dancer. Running August through November 2025, both shows celebrate storytelling, identity, and theatrical mayhem.
ACT Contemporary Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for the 49th year of the beloved theatrical classic, A Christmas Carol. Originally adapted for the stage in 1976 by ACT founder Gregory Falls, this season's production will see the return of Seattle actor Darragh Kennan in the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge.
ACT Contemporary Theatre announced today the cast and creative team for their 48th production of the beloved classic, A Christmas Carol. Originally adapted for the stage in 1976 by ACT founder Gregory Falls, this season's production will see Seattle actor Darragh Kennan in the infamous role of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Seattle Shakespeare Company unveiled its 2020-2021 season containing several artist-initiated projects around the theme of a?oeFamily Trust.a?? Highlights include a comedy by a Shakespeare contemporary, the return of upstart crow collective to the Seattle Shakespeare stage, a 20th Century American classic, and the beloved bickering of Beatrice and Benedick.
Over the years, Dear Readers, I've seen many productions of Shakespeare's oft-produced tragedy 'Romeo + Juliet'. So many productions from so many levels of professionalism with so many different takes on how to tell the story. And to be honest, only one of them even came close to bringing the story of the star-crossed lovers to life. That is until now. ACT's current production with its vibrant staging and top-notch cast incorporating Deaf and hearing actors using American Sign Language in conjunction with the Shakespearean text has created a new standard by which all other R+J's must be judged from here on.
In 1993 a few Norwegian politicians managed the impossible, to get the Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a peace. What sounds even more impossible is that they all kept it secret. Now this may not sound like the riveting topic for a three-hour play but what J.T. Rogers' 'Oslo', currently playing at ACT, does it to go beyond the facts of the accords and examines the humanity that made the accords possible and that kind of conflict makes for a tense and often times funny piece presented with a stunning ensemble from ACT.
Civic Rep will produce a season of work written by Tennessee Williams while in residence at Open Space on Vashon. Civic Rep has two prior productions of plays by Tennessee Williams under their belt: THE TWO-CHARACTER PLAY and A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, both of which enjoyed successful runs at New City Theatre in Seattle.
Seattle Shakespeare Company has never been one to shy away from a challenge and with their current production of "The Merchant of Venice" they certainly seem to have a challenge on their hands. As I see it they have one challenge they can, and hopefully will overcome as the production continues, the pace of the show, and one challenge inherit to the piece that they can never defeat but only embrace, the overt antisemitism.
The wealthy heiress Portia is forced to set her suitors a challenge for her hand in marriage. In order to woo her, Bassanio finances his plan with money borrowed from his friend Antonio. All would be fine except Antonio has taken out a loan from the moneylender Shylock on the assurance that his ships will make it back to the city. They don't, and Shylock demands repayment with a pound of Antonio's flesh.
In The Merchant of Venice, a diverse and vibrant city comes alive in Shakespeare's interconnected tales of friendship, love, family, business, inequality, and intolerance. Desdemona Chiang directs the play for Seattle Shakespeare Company which runs March 20 -April 15, 2018 at the Center Theatre at the Seattle Center.
The second installment of the new series, State of the Theatre: Seattle Artists in Conversation will feature some of Seattle's most accomplished interpreters of Shakespeare in conversation with longtime Seattle Times theatre critic, lecturer, and author Misha Berson.
The first installment of the new series, State of the Theatre: Seattle Artists in Conversation will feature some of Seattle's most accomplished dramatists in conversation with longtime Seattle Times theatre critic, lecturer, and author Misha Berson.
After 10 years of producing bold, honest, groundbreaking theater, Seattle's award-winning New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) is closing its doors at the end of 2017.
There are certain shows out there that, while being engaging and performed well, make you feel like you're missing something. Many of the plays of Tom Stoppard are that way for me in that, unless you've taken a master class on that particular subject matter, you may not get the full impact. The World Premiere of Moby Pomerance's "Alex & Aris", currently playing at ACT, falls into this category. Stirring performances and crisp dialog but unless you've taken the prerequisite class on Greek history you may fall behind.
After 10 years of producing award-winning productions and helping to change the face of mid-level professional theatre in Seattle, New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) is excited to share several new developments in its future.
New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) ends its 2017 10th Anniversary Season with Will Eno's The Realistic Joneses.
New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) begins its 2017 10th Anniversary Season with Tanya Barfield's Bright Half Life. Bright Half Life will run February 15-March 11, 2017 (opening night is February 17, 2017). Single tickets are available for purchase online now at www.wearenctc.org.
Spanning 28 theater companies and 59 productions, from the largest and most prominent to small, humble and innovative, the Gypsy Rose Lee Awards honor as much professional theater as we reviewers can cram into our year.
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